BL Premium reports that the government’s offer of a R100 grocery voucher to the over-60s when they get their first Covid-19 jab has had such a lukewarm response that the incentive scheme is being expanded to those aged over 50.

The food vouchers are offered to a vaccinated person after they get their first shot and can be redeemed at Shoprite, Boxer or USave stores. The government is pushing hard to increase vaccine coverage among older people before the next surge in cases, as age is the single biggest risk factor for severe Covid-19. More than 80% of SA’s Covid-19 deaths have occurred in people aged 60 or older. The “Vooma Voucher” scheme, intended to shore up flagging demand for Covid-19 vaccines among SA’s most vulnerable age group, has seen just 8,135 vouchers redeemed since its inception on 4 November, and has so far failed to drive up the daily number of shots administered to the over-60s. The pilot project has been funded by the private sector, which has so far put up R25m, enough to potentially reach a quarter of a million people. “We are trying to understand the reasons for this slow uptake,” said the health department’s head of vaccine demand acceleration, David Harrison. Government figures show only 3.5-million or 64% of SA’s 5.5-million people aged 60 and above have had at least one vaccine dose.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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